Description
What This Bodum Brewer Is
This is a small glass pour over brewer in black, model 11592-01US, made in Portugal. Like the rest of Bodum’s pour over range it pairs a glass carafe with a permanent stainless steel mesh filter, so there is no paper to buy. The specification table lists the coffee maker type as pour over, the filter type as reusable, the operation mode as manual and the special feature as portable.
At 4.6 by 5.5 by 6.1 inches this is noticeably smaller than the cork banded 34 ounce Bodum elsewhere in this catalog, which measures 5.63 by 8 by 6.5 inches. The listing publishes no capacity figure at all, so the volume has to be inferred from the size, and this review will not put a number on it. Anyone for whom capacity is the deciding factor should confirm it with Bodum, or choose the larger model where at least a figure is stated.
The Metal Filter and What It Does To the Cup
The permanent stainless mesh filter is the defining feature of Bodum’s pour over range and it changes the coffee in a predictable way. Paper filters are made of cellulose fibers that trap the oils and the finest particles, giving a clean, light bodied, transparent cup. Metal mesh has larger openings, so oils pass through and a little fine sediment settles at the bottom.
The result is a heavier, rounder cup that sits between a paper filtered pour over and a French press. Whether that is an improvement depends entirely on preference, and it is worth knowing before buying rather than after. Anyone who wants the clean cup should use a paper cone such as the Hario V60 ceramic set, and anyone who wants the full immersion version of a heavy bodied cup should look at the french presses category.
The filter also brings a maintenance requirement. Coffee oils accumulate in the layers of a mesh screen and eventually turn rancid, which taints every subsequent brew. Rinsing is not enough. The mesh needs washing with detergent and periodically soaking, and it should be dried rather than left wet.
Glass, Portability and Iced Coffee
Bodum’s copy describes borosilicate glass, which resists thermal shock in a way ordinary glass does not, and states that it holds no flavors or odors. That second point is real: glass is inert, so unlike plastic it will not carry the taste of yesterday’s coffee. The copy also describes a black sleeve that provides grip, which is the same solution the cork band serves on the larger model.
The special feature field reads portable, though at 1.17 pounds of glass this is portable in the sense of being light rather than robust. Glass in a bag is a risk regardless of weight, and anyone who genuinely needs a travel brewer should consider something unbreakable such as the OXO Rapid Brewer instead.
The specific uses field names iced coffee, which for a pour over device usually means the Japanese iced method: brewing hot directly onto ice so the coffee is chilled the moment it is made. That works well with a small glass brewer, since the ice sits in the carafe and the brew lands on it, and it produces a brighter cup than cold brewing does.
Living With a Small Glass Brewer
A brewer this size fits a specific routine: one or two cups, made and drunk immediately. There is no lid mentioned in the included components and no insulation anywhere in the design, so the coffee starts cooling the moment it lands in the carafe. That is not a fault in a device meant to be emptied straight into a cup, but it rules out brewing ahead.
Glass has one clear advantage in daily use beyond looks, which is that it shows exactly what is happening. The level is visible, the color of the brew is visible, and the drawdown can be watched, which is genuinely useful when learning the method. The tradeoff is fragility, and a glass brewer on a crowded counter is a matter of when rather than if. Storing it in a cupboard between uses rather than leaving it out is the sensible habit.
Highlights
- Permanent stainless steel mesh filter with no paper filters required.
- Borosilicate glass that tolerates hot water and holds no flavors.
- Compact at 4.6 by 5.5 by 6.1 inches and light at 1.17 pounds.
- Black sleeve for grip and insulation from the hot glass.
- Suited to brewing hot over ice for iced coffee.
- Made in Portugal, from a manufacturer with a long glassware history.
- Manual operation, so nothing to plug in and nothing to fail.
Things To Consider
The absence of any capacity figure is the main gap on this listing, and it is the single thing most buyers would want to know. The included components field lists only a carafe, which does not mention the filter that the marketing copy describes as central to the product, so it is worth confirming that the filter ships with it.
The specification table also lists the human interface input as Buttons. There are no buttons on a manual glass pour over brewer, and no interface of any kind. It is an import artifact, and the UPC field carrying two separate codes suggests merged listings, so checking that the photographs match what is ordered is sensible.
The practical limitations are those of the method and the material. Pour over needs attention throughout the brew and rewards a gooseneck kettle and a burr grinder, neither of which is included. Glass breaks when dropped. There is no lid and no insulation, so coffee should be poured promptly rather than left to cool in the carafe. Households that want coffee kept hot should look at a thermal machine in the coffee machines category.
Who Should Buy It and Who Should Skip It
This suits one or two people who want a heavier bodied pour over cup without paper filters, who like glass on the counter, and who brew and drink promptly. It is small enough to store in a cupboard and cheap to run, since the only consumable is coffee.
Skip it if you need a stated capacity before buying, if you want a clean paper filtered cup, or if you brew for a household. Skip it too if you want something to travel with, where glass is the wrong material regardless of the portability claim in the specification field.
